Monday, August 20, 2012

Some Good in the Midst of Bad on Etsy

Today I am off work! YAY! I haven't really done anything today- just rested and chilled in the Florida heat. I have done a few small things. Lite a candle for my business/ Lakshmi, Ishtar and St Claire (3 seperate candles!). Worked on a Smokey Quartz necklace for a friend and had some cookies. I have been watching a BNR (Buy ~N~ Replace) board on Etsy today. A fellow estian's(Treasure Kelly) son was in an oil rig explosion and was badly burned and flown to the Minnesota Burn Unit. These wonderful people put this BNR together in hopes of raising money to help Kelly be able to fly out and be with her son. The son is in an induced coma currently and I can NOT imagine the horror that Kelly must be going through. In 3 hours they have had 34 sales, raising at least $170.00. Several people did not buy in, but did make a donation. How wonderful to know that people out there still care! They are continuing to plan out other ways to help this wonderful person who has helped so many of us.

~EDIT~ As of 08/22/12 $1000.00 has been raised to aid Kelly and her son!

There has been a lot of issues for me going on dealing with Etsy and their new guidelines. I understand that these guidelines are coming from the FDA,but the way that Etsy has handled it is what upsets me. It affects a lot of people on there and they don't seem to give a hoot about that fact. Many herbalist, pagans, bath and body, free loving spirits, and anybody else that would use a medical term are now having to change their listings (some have 100's of items). Disclaimers are still allowed, but do not affect the fact that medical terms are no longer allowed to be used. For example- acne, insomnia, headache, rash, depression- are words no longer allowed to be used in descriptions. For some this would hardly seem a horrible thing, but to those that make or sale items for these types of things- it hurts.I recently bought a organic lotion for problematic skin that works wonder. But the owner will have to edit the listing since it has the word acne in it.  And I can't help but notice that Etsy is looking to become public with the stock, instantly making a lot of employees very rich. While good for them, how many new rules with there be placed on sellers. Etsy is not a new form of Ebay and sellers don't want it to be. Etsy has been a great venue for me to start out and I would seriously hate to leave (at this point I am in compliance with the new rules), but if the rules get in tighter, I will have to leave. Is this the start to a modern day witch hunt? Or maybe the government just wants us to have no free will? Or do you think it simply boils down to making Etsy employees/ owners instant millionaires?

I have been looking at ArtFire and I do know that they have been contacted about the new guidelines on Etsy and to see what their stance is on the matter. They have agreed to look into it and I know that several shops are considering ArtFire as a possible new venue. I just do not know if ArtFire has enough traffic to help these sellers actually sell their items.

Ok, so maybe I should have reversed the two topics to end on a positive note!


New Guidelines
Questions about new guidelines
More info on the new Laws
Article of Taking Etsy Public

These articles are just a few, if you want to know more feel free to look us up on Yahoo chat groups were there is much debate about what is going on Herbal Sales Team .


Friday, August 17, 2012

Clearing Negative Energy With Salt Water

Guest Post by Francie (Abbie)

We have all heard of clearing a space of negative energy with a smudge stick or smudge mix as the Indians did but what about Salt Water! Salt naturally cleanses and absorbs negative energy from your home.Sea salt is best for this purpose! and change the water everyday so you get rid of all that negativity!!! keep a bowl of salt water in places you feel you need a little extra cleansing.So next time you grab that sage bundle for a house cleansing don't forget about SALT! It can be a very useful tool for clearing a space of negative energy.

Legendary Crochet 

LH Team Blog 

Monday, August 13, 2012

Goddess Ishtar

From an Akkadian hymn to Ishtar, translated by Ferris J. Stephens: Man, Myth and Magic. Vol.13. It was written in the latter part of the First Dynasty of Babylon, approximately 1600 BC. 

photo   © 2006   Ian , Flickr

 Praise of Ishtar

Praise the goddess, the most awesome of the goddesses.
Let one revere the mistress of the peoples, the greatest of the Igigi.
Praise Ishtar, the most awesome of the goddesses.
Let us revere the queen of women, the greatest of the Igigi.
She is clothed in pleasure and love.
She is laden with vitality, charm, and voluptuousness.
Ishtar is clothed in pleasure and love.
She is laden with vitality, charm, and voluptuousness.
In lips she is sweet; life is in her mouth.
At her appearance rejoicing becomes full.
She is glorious; veils are thrown over her head.
Her figure is beautiful; her eyes are brilliant.
The goddess - with her there is counsel.
The fate of everything she holds in her hand.
At her glance there is created joy,
Power, magnificence, the protecting deity and guardian spirit.
She dwells in, she pays heed to compassion and friendliness.
Besides, agreeableness she truly possesses.
Be it slave, unattached girl, or mother, she preserves (her).
One calls on her; among women one names her name.
Who - to her greatness who can be equal?
Strong, exalted, splendid are her decrees.
Ishtar - to her greatness who can be equal?
Strong, exalted, splendid are her decrees.
She is sought after among the gods; extraordinary is her station.
Respected is her word; it is supreme over them.
Ishtar among the gods, extraordinary is her station.
Respected is her word; it is supreme over them.
She is their queen; they continually cause her commands to be executed.
All of them bow down to her.
They receive her light before her.
Women and men indeed revere her.
In their assembly her word is powerful; it is dominating.
Before Anum their king she fully supports them.
She rests in intelligence, cleverness, (and) wisdom.
They take counsel together, she and her lord.
Indeed they occupy the throne room together.
In the divine chamber, the dwelling of joy,
Before them the gods take their places.
To their utterances their attention is turned.
The king their favorite, beloved of their hearts,
Magnificently offers to them his pure sacrifices.
Ammiditana, as the pure offering of his hands,
Brings before them fat oxen and gazelles.
From Anum, her consort, she has been pleased to ask for him
An enduring, a long life.
Many years of living, to Ammiditana
She has granted, Ishtar has decided to give.
By her orders she has subjected to him
The four world regions at his feet;
And the total of all peoples
She has decided to attach them to his yoke.